Written by: Caroline Tapken, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
As Expats, we never really know when we will be returning home, but that does not mean we should be unprepared. Here are ten things, in no particular order, that can be prepared and maintained in advance, regardless when you plan on leaving your expat life behind.
1. Bank Accounts
If you already have bank accounts in your home country, make sure you keep up to date with correspondence and status. Keep credit cards active and use them once in a while. Use your account when on holiday. Change passwords frequently. If you don’t already have bank accounts, open one on your next visit home. Open them for the children when they are young too!
WHY? Building a credit rating and establishing a presence is so much more difficult if you have to start from scratch again.
2. Address
Everything you do needs proof of address! Using a ‘care of’ address is quite common for expats – and is normally a relative or close friend.
WHY? Maintaining or establishing one is vital for ID purposes.
3. Financials
Review investment portfolios & encashment dates, rules around portfolios and property ownership well before your planned return home. A Financial Planner can help in tax mitigation (not avoidance!) and will be invaluable when planning your financial future.
WHY? Taxes and residency rules!
4. Pets
Ensure you know the rules around vaccination requirements, and pet passports, start crate training early and put money aside for relocation of your pets.
WHY? No one wants to abandon their much the loved pets due to lack of funds or forward planning
5. Declutter
Garage sales, charity donations and flea markets are best done well ahead of a moving date. Decluttering is more fun when done without the pressure. Planning in advance ensures you don’t throw out things of importance to you, and don’t keep unnecessary stuff!
WHY? Shipping, and storage, is expensive. Houses (and furniture) might be larger where you are currently living than where you move home to.
6. Up-Skilling
Do you need to brush up on certain skills, acquire new skills, or update yourself on industry regulations before taking a job back home? WHY? Things change! Being prepared well in advance, or staying on top of a changing environment is much easier than trying to cram in the last weeks before a stressful move, or finding it hard to get a job because of lack of current knowledge
7. Clothes
Potentially moving from a hot to a cold climate, or cold to hot? By planning ahead, and buying clothes in the sales in advance, you could reduce the cost of a move. Think ‘big stuff’ like coats, boots and thermals!
WHY? There are never sales when you really need them!
8. Play Tourist
Take advantage of wherever you are now, and make time to do all those things that tourists do! Sometimes we get so busy with our lives, we forget to explore. Play tourist ‘back home’ too! Explore the area you plan on moving back to, to make sure it is where you want to be.
WHY? Going back to do all the touristy things you never got around to while you lived there is expensive (and silly!)
9. Networking
Update that LinkedIn profile NOW and start connecting with people who can be helpful in the future. Interact and engage with them BEFORE you start looking for a job. Build that Know/Like/Trust relationship NOW, before you need it.
WHY? The job search is so much easier when you have already established the relevant network, and have been visible & engaged.
10. Cultivate Friendships
Have you been a little lazy with old friendships, or new ones? Thinking that there will always be time to get back in touch? Focus on those who are really important to you, and rebuild those connections near and far.
WHY? Friendship is like a flower – it needs cultivating, watering and feeding to stay alive. You can’t simply walk back into someone’s life after a long absence and no contact, and expect them to welcome you with open arms. And you are going to need friends when you face the changes ahead!
Hope these tips help! You will notice I have not mentioned children here… There are so many things to consider around moving them across continents, an entire article could be dedicated to that!
Final word of advice: Enjoy where you are. Make the most of the experience. You never know when change is coming.
Caroline Tapken, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Caroline works with Expats and Repats to help them plan their future, so they can enjoy the retirement they deserve.
She is a seasoned expat herself, with 35+ years of living and working in the Caribbean, the USA, Asia and the Middle East, and a marketing & communications professional with a strong hospitality and travel background.
Caroline is Mum to two third-culture-kids (TCKs) and a rescue Basenji-Saluki mix. She recently returned to live in the UK and is Listener-in-Chief at Joy & Purpose Life Coach.
